In elections, jobless trend matters more than rate (bodes well for Obama)

[ProgressiveEconomist]

2. Thus Rs want to tank the economy by not

extending the 2 percent payroll tax holiday and by not extending long-term unemployment benefits, costing the economy hundreds of thousands of jobs (see below).

I hope President Obama works these issues, along with the rest of his American Jobs Act, into his State Of The Union speech.

According to http://web.epi-data.org/temp727/EPI-TCF_IssueBrief_311.pdf :

No payroll tax holiday would prevent $118 billion in tax relief for 160 million American workers, costing 0.8 percentage points in GDP growth and 972,000 jobs.

No extended unemployment insurance would eliminate $45 billion in spending for necessities by the unemployed, costing 0.4 percentage points in GDP growth and 528,000 jobs.